The Prince
by Phasymonde
Summary: A girl. Not part of the zodiac, not a mysterious transfer student, just a girl. Just a normal, plain old girl in for the surprise of a life. Yuki/OC. Full summary inside.
1. The Prince

1. The Prince

****PLEASE READ****

_Hey everyone, it's ElvanBeauty. This is my first time publishing anything on here, and I'm determined to keep this story going. Please PLEASE PLEASE!!! review! I want to know what you all think, even if you say this story sucks (please don't though, I am trying very hard). Anyways, this chapter's really short, and I have a few more points to make. If you don't like people writing FanFic with characters the author randomly put in, this might not be a good story for you. I'm just saying, because this entire thing is in MY perspective (Ume Mitsuki). That's not my name, and technically it's not me, either, but you know. Just know that you can always put yourself in Mitsuki's shoes, eh, girls? Lastly, please enjoy. I'll keep these author's notes short from now on._

WHEN I SAW him for the first time, I thought an angel went to this school. Or a prince. Which as it turned out to be, that's what he was. He roamed the halls quietly, though, not as if he owned the school (I didn't doubt that he did), but as a normal student. He was far from it. He had his own fan club that included half of the girls in the school. The boys made a role model out of him and several swore they would think he was cute if he were a girl (what a compliment). The teachers found no problem with him at all, he had to be in honor roll, he was uncommonly athletic – he was perfect.

Usually, I hate any kinds of stereotypes of jocks, blondes, or ladies'- men (yesh, I know that's old). They just don't exist. And when I first heard about the Prince, I was sure this school would be a hard place to survive. There really was no need for a buff Greek god to swagger around in the halls with girls on either side of him as slaves. Even less for him to get perfect grades AND the admiration of teachers.

But I never thought… He would be quiet. He would have an inferiority complex. He would be kind. I never imagined – THAT was what Sohma Yuki was like.

_Like it? Please tell me! I require one positive review to post the next one, because there would be no point to posting more if nobody read it. :D PLEASE REVIEW!_


	2. Acquaintance

2. Acquaintance

_Hey, again! All my notes will be in italics from now on, okay? So you don't have to read them, I guess. But I wish you would! For now this story is going really fast, because I already have the chapters already written and am just typing them up, but as it goes along, you'll have to wait. Oh, and this is Kaibara Public Highschool, where most of the Furuba characters go. :D Here you go!_

I NAVIGATED THE halls as carefully as I could, my books clutched to my chest. People bumped and swarmed around, jostling each other uncomfortably. I hated this most. All there needed to be was an especially rowdy boy to knock me flat. I wasn't tall, to say the least, and would most likely take the brunt of the damage. Sadly, this had happened more than once before.

As the crowd thinned, I started to let my guard down. It was the mistake of my day. I hugged my books tighter, resting my chin on them, and walked faster. And, alas, I only looked at the ground right before my feet.

"Crap, class is starting," shouted a loud voice. I looked up a millisecond too late – and the impact had already made me drop my books. Since I walked close to the walls to _avoid_ crashing into people, my head hit the wall closest to me.

I had closed my eyes on reflex, and now I opened them to look out cautiously. My head wasn't too bad, but the back hurt a little.

Oh, and if you were expecting the guy who knocked me down to be a wonderful person who would help me up, carry my books, and fall in love with me eventually, you disgust me. Those sappy cliché scenes have no place at all in this story.

The rude boy picked himself up, called out a "sorry!" and ran off to his class, leaving me to recover on my own.

I was so angry, I sat there a full ten seconds, boiling away. I never was the aggressive type. Of course, it wasn't likely I could find that boy again, anyways.

My mind whirred more and more off topic. Finally, I realized (stupidly) that I should go to class. I picked up my books hurriedly and dashed as I could toward my classroom (stupidly again. By this time there were hardly any people in the halls, but…).

The impact knocked me down again.

_Okay,_ I thought, _this time I deserved it._ I turned to peer at who I should apologize to, but only saw a gray-white mouse looking down dejectedly. I nearly screamed, but I was frozen in place. The only thing I could think was: _What is a mouse doing here?_ I noticed the clothes on the floor next to it. What were clothes doing on the floor? _Here?_ I stared at the mouse in front of me as if it could give me an answer. Something clicked in my brain. And I realized that maybe the impossible… was possible.

"N-nezumi-san?" I said, trying it out. The mouse stared at me disbelievingly. Or perhaps it was a ridiculing stare. I couldn't tell. "Well," I reasoned out loud, "if people are turning into mice, then why shouldn't they talk?" I felt stupid. I couldn't even convince myself.

"My name is Sohma Yuki," the mouse said quietly. I jumped. _Ha,_ I told myself, _you thought it could talk yet jumped when it did!_

"O-oh," I said. My mind was blank as I stared at the Most Intelligent Rodent. MIR. Sohma Yuki? I'd never heard of him. But then, the school year had barely started. I guess I wouldn't know him.

I reached out a tentative hand and stroked the mouse's head. It occurred to me too late that this was a human being, when it flinched.

"Eh-I-gomen – " I stuttered, but then there was an explosion. A mini explosion, but an explosion all the same. I backed away automatically, but found myself face to face with a beautiful gray-haired violet-eyed boy. I forgot that we were in a public place and screamed, turning around quickly. (He was naked.)

I turned back around slowly when I thought it was safe. Yuki was standing a few feet away from me, fixing his tie. I stood up quickly and gathered my books. I had forgotten about class again.

"Wait," he pleaded. "Gomenasai about my… transformation. I had better tell you about the Juunishi."

The Juunishi? The zodiac? But all of a sudden he seemed to remember something.

"_Do not_ tell anyone what you have seen. For now… we have to go back to our classrooms. Can you be here after school?"

I didn't dream of saying no. I guess it just didn't occur to me. "Yes, I think so," I said unsteadily. "But… I… okay." _What a lame response,_ I chided myself. _You are baka desu._

Later, my books clutched to my chest and slowly navigating the halls again, I made my way to class. My mind was in overdrive. I didn't understand what had happened. Was Yuki Sohma the nezumi? Or – or what? Did it matter? I turned a corner and found my classroom, then opened the door slowly and hoped the teacher wouldn't spit fire.

"Ume!" barked a voice.

I winced and answered, "Y-yes, sensei?"

"You're late. Twenty minutes late, in fact. Did you try to play hooky? Got caught?"

"No," I said, mortified. How long was this interrogation going to last? Every eye was on me. I felt stares and snickers from across the room, and went hot and cold at once. The silence threatened to crush me, so I fidgeted.

"Fine. Go sit down," the sensei said coldly. (Her last name was Shiraki, but no one ever used it. Shiraki Mayuko.) I took my spot between two vivacious girls and hoped they wouldn't tire me with their antics today.

"What did you say?" whispered the girl with blond pigtails on my right. Apparently, she was talking to the girl on my left. Since the teacher had started talking, they had deemed it safe to chat and pass notes.

"The Prince was looking at _her_ today!"

"_Her?_"

"_Her!_ That witch, Honda Tohru!"

I couldn't elp overhearing. Honda Tohru? I thought I had seen her before – a silly naïve girl with ribbons always in her hair, she seemed to spread sunshine with her innocent nature(although I admit I thought her on the dim side – no pun intended).

"Was he talking to her?"

"He was _smiling_ at her!" hissed the brown-haired, blue-eyed girl on my left.

He…? The Prince…?

"Nooo! We must tell Motoko-senpai at once!"

Left Girl sniffed. "To think that Prince Yuki would associate with Honda Tohru! Hmph! She has seduced him!"

Yuki? _Yuki Sohma?_ I couldn't believe it!

"We also must remind her to ask for the list of members on student council… _Female_ members on student council!"

"Is he going to join?"

" Maybe!"

The sighed at some shared imagining, whispering, "We shall protect the Prince, who has graced this school with his presence…" Then something that sounded suspiciously like: "Stay away from him, bitch."

I watched the clock until class ended. _Prince_ Yuki Sohma!


	3. Disclosure

3. Disclosure

_Yo, it's me, Ume Mitsuki! You must know it isn't my real name, but since I like it so much, I'm using it as my pen-name! I'm sorry if you don't know some of those Japanese words back in chapter 2, but I'm not going to go back and make a glossary (too much work!), so just PM me if you really want to know something. I think you all anime/manga fans know them, though, because they're common knowledge when you watch anime. Don't feel stupid if you don't know some of them, just ask! Love, Mitsuki. _

_EDIT: Okay, um, please write reviews! I want to know that people are actually reading it so that I'll want to keep writing! :D But if you don't really care, that is… :( Ah, well! I'll keep my expectations low! One review for this one too!_

MY BAG AND viola sat haphazardly on the floor next to me, as I waited for Yuki Sohma. Instead of walking home, I now tried to be patient as I imagined what kind of crazy things he would tell me. When he had been telling me to stay, I had been so dazed that I didn't even think to ask where. So I sat in the spot that we had met, cursing myself and hoping he would come here.

Suddenly, I saw Kyo Sohma stalk by. I had never known before, or even guessed, but he and Yuki had to be related! I rushed over to him without thinking.

"Um, excuse me – " I said, trying to catch up.

"If you're going to ask me out, the answer is no," he said roughly, continuing on his way.

I was almost too surprised to follow him, but I tried again. "No, it wasn't my motive. I was wondering maybe you know where Yuki is…?"

"No," Kyo snarled, increasing his pace. "Why should I keep track of that damn rat?"

Before I could think or even take in entirely what he had said, what came out of my mouth was, "Why do you call him that?"

He stopped so abruptly that he seemed to turn to ice. The temperature of the atmosphere dropped about ten degrees.

"C-call him what?" Kyo asked with a desperate try at innocence.

"Kuso nezumi."

"Because he is one!" he shouted.

"Really?" I asked, interested. Then, the temperature dropped by about another ten degrees, and I realized it was the wrong thing to say. "Ach," Kyo said with a fake nonchalance. "Quit badgering me!" He stalked off at an even higher pace.

Left with my same problem, I resumed my place at the side of the hallway. Kyo knew about Yuki's "transformation," that was for sure. But why…? Another thought struck me – what if other people could turn into animals, too? The world could be teeming with animal-people! But wouldn't we know it? What had triggered the "transformation"?

"Um, excuse me, miss?"

Funny. Those were almost exactly the words I'd used. I looked up and saw Yuki standing above me.

"Ah – Sohma-san!" I said frantically, standing up with my baggage at the ready.

"What's your name? I don't believe I caught it this morning…"

"Ume Mitsuki," I said.

"Ah, Ume-san, I must tell you a story, then. Unless you already know about the Chinese zodiac? Or, the Juunishi?" He led me outside to talk more privately, I guessed.

"Yes, I know the story," I said, a little confused.

"Well, the Juunishi actually exist in a sense. There are fourteen people that serve each of the roles. Because, for some reason, we transform into our animals when we are weak feeling a strong emotion, or hugged by the opposite sex."

I thought a little. "Fourteen…?"

"There's not only the twelve zodiac, there is also a cat," Yuki said in a voice that suggested he was talking about something disgusting. "And, there is God."

"God?" I repeated. The God who had invited the animals to the banquet? Who had arranged the years of the lunar calendar according to the place each animal had come in? The pieces fell into place. (A/N: OOH! First Author's Note! First Author's Note! This may seem a bit too obvious, but since I already know the secret in real life, you know, it's hard to pretend I don't. Please tell me what you think.) So there was, like he said, a real group as the zodiac!

"Why are people like this, though?" I asked. "How are they picked? Who is God? What does it feel like?" A million questions tumbled into my mind.

"I can't really answer any of those," Yuki said slowly. "Actually, not much is known about it. We can only read stories and guess."

"You're the rat!" I exclaimed, then realized that didn't sound too flattering. "I mean – " I amended, embarrassed, "You were the most intelligent one! After all, you received first place, even with your disadvantage. The most clever, and the most adorable!"

Yuki looked taken aback.

(A/N: This following paragraph is wholly true.) "I've always wanted to be born Year of the Rat," I continued. "Since I was between the Rat and the Pig years from the solar and lunar calendars' difference, I thought I had a choice. 'I want to be the Rat,' I said. 'They're cuter than pigs.' My parents tried to convince me otherwise. They said the rat was notorious for being sly and taking advantage of others, but the pig was good fortune and abundance. My grandpa was a Rat, too. He told me all the time it was the best of the zodiac, and I believed him." I smiled a little. "I still do!"

"Oh," he stuttered. "Thank you." (A/N: MUHAHAHA! As you can see this is the first time I discovered A/N! AHAHAHA!! Anyways, Kagura wouldn't be too happy about that…)

I looked at him anxiously. "Was that too weird?"

"No, not at all," said Yuki.

I wasn't reassured. We stood a bit in awkward silence. My head was lowered, and I was staring bashfully at the grass (ugh).

"Ume-san." Yuki broke the silence.

I looked up.

"One person not in the zodiac knows about the curse right now… You are the second. You are not to say anything, understood? This is a dangerous secret." He turned his head away. "The only other person who knew had her memory erased."

"Sohma-san," I said. "Who… who is the one person that knows right now?"

He hesitated. "Honda Tohru."

My eyes widened in shock. Tohru! She was the one the girls in my class had called a witch (um, and worse…)!

"Maybe you know her? She's a lovely girl," Yuki said with sincerity.

But, I realized, it made sense. Those girls must have been jealous because Tohru was the Prince's girlfriend, and since she was his girlfriend, he must have told her about the "curse". I remembered what I had thought about her, embarrassed. _…I thought her on the dim side…_

"Oh!" I managed.

"There's one more thing," he continued. "Of course, you've kept our secret so far, but despite it all, you might have to have your memories erased."

I hadn't expected this. I blinked. "But… why did you tell me all this?"

"Would you rather be kept in the dark?"

Secretly, I was disappointed. The first time I made a friend, I would have all my memories erased of him. Inside, I mourned.

"I'm very sorry," he said, "but the head of the house decides these things. When I was a child, I invited friends to play tag. One girl got carried away and hugged me, so her memories… everyone's memories had to be erased. Of me." Yuki spoke softer than usual now.

"Sohma-san," I tried to say, but my lips wouldn't move. I wondered just how much this mysterious boy kept under his false exterior. What was under his façade? Why did he hide it?

"Am I keeping you late?" he asked courteously. He was already keeping me late by telling me to stay, but it didn't matter to me.

"Oh, no – not at all, I said quickly.

He apologized again anyway. As I got ready to leave, I watched Yuki from behind as he walked off towards where he lived. I wanted to catch up to him and talk and joke. To hug him. (A/N: Now, that would be bad, wouldn't it?) To ask him about… HIM… But each one of these things was too personal. So I refrained as best I could, and watched silently his retreating back, feeling a vague sense of loss.

_As I said, please review!! Please! :(__ And I'm sorry it takes me so long, it's just that I have them all written but I'm too lazy to type 'em up. The next one will be faster!_


	4. Prophecy

4. Prophecy

_Hey. You might notice these chapters getting shorter and sloppier. Very sorry, but I was getting over a block and everything… Anyways, bear with me, and some melodrama, okay? I'm very far on my writing, just too lazy to type (or have I said that before?). Won't clog up this chapter anymore, then, since it's short. HERE! Love, Mitsuki._

THAT NIGHT, MY dreams haunted me. I saw things I'd never seen in my life – or even thought about. Yuki took my hand and led me to a circle of animals, and each melted into a person. Strange faces peered back at me. I swirled around, feeling dizzy, and all the people transformed back into an animal. A dark, ominous presence suddenly loomed over us. I could barely see it, but its malice glinted, and ropes shot out, attaching each animal to it.

"Leave. Now," the blackness hissed.

Then I saw the little speck of white on its heart, where one would expect it to be the most black. I reached out and touched it, and the creature roared at me. But the whiteness was already taking over. It melted the thing just like the animals, peeling back the evil and jealousy. Finally, a beautiful young woman with black hair smiled at me, glowing gently. She offered me her hand and I tried to grasp it in response, but before our fingers touched, I was suddenly jerked back.

I woke with a lingering sense of confusion and disorientation. I couldn't quite remember what I'd dreamed, but it had been a nightmare. Yet, I remembered, at the end I felt happy. Shoving the remaining bits of memory out of my mind, I got up feeling just a little different than before.

_Yes, short, I know. Please review, everyone! I feel like nobody's interested except - counts - FOUR PEOPLE! (And one's not really interested, I just told her to read it.)_


	5. Honda Tohru

5. Honda Tohru

_I'm trying to post quicker, now that it's summer. Please review, people! And I'm sorry if you all like Honda Tohru, I don't like her very much (as you can tell…) Love, Mitsuki._

SURPRISINGLY, LIFE WAS nothing different now that I knew the "secret". Or, so I thought.

I went to school that day as usual. For some reason, I felt new and… different, but heavier than before. One weighed constantly on my mind – Honda Tohru.

"_One person not in the zodiac knows about the curse right now…"_

Honda Tohru.

_She seemed to spread sunshine with her innocent nature._

Honda Tohru.

"_Maybe you know her? She's a lovely girl."_

Honda Tohru…

I couldn't concentrate all day, flitting mindlessly from class to class. I didn't read any of the text handed out, and never heard what the teacher said. Every time I stared out the window, I felt like my life was slipping by me.

After school, I was the first out to gather my books. I shoved everything in my bag in record time and set off at a high speed. I wondered if I would keep my memories. It was a small insignificant thought in the back of my head.

"Ume-san!" shouted a voice. Pitter-pattering footsteps followed.

I whirled around, stunned.

Honda Tohru had come to find me. She stopped in front of me, slightly out of breath. "Hello, Ume-san! I am Honda Tohru!"

"I know," I said. Then, feeling obligated to say more, I added, "I'm Ume Mitsuki."

"Ahh, Ume-san, I know we're going to be good friends!"

I waited, none too patiently. I had an overwhelming urge to scream in her face – whether it was because of her happy-go-lucky attitude or her generic greeting that might have come out of an instruction manual (How to make friends). But I didn't say anything.

"Please, I would like to talk to you in private – oh, is something wrong, Ume-san?"

I clenched my teeth a little too visibly. "Nothing. Please stop calling me 'Ume-san,' okay?" No rage. No rage. Don't lash out…

"Um, okay," Tohru said uncomfortably. She tugged my hand gently. "Would you like to talk?"

"N – " I almost said no, but I bit down on my tongue. "Okay, what is it?" I pulled her outside and sat down on a bench by the sidewalk. I resolved to remain pleasant.

"Sohma-kun has told me that you now know about the curse. I thought I would get to know you, and perhaps explain some more about it. I know we'll be friends!"

There it was again. Her _happy, happy joy, joy _attitude. It annoyed me, very much.

"Ume-sa – "

"Mitsuki. My name is Mitsuki."

"Ah, okay, Mitsuki-san!" she smiled. How could she stay so unaffected after I'd so nearly been rude? Undoubtedly, she had either incredible temper control, or no temper at all. Because of it, (or perhaps despite it), this conversation was going very slowly.

"Well, what is it you wanted to explain?" I asked as civilly as I could.

"Mitsuki-san… Has Sohma-kun told you about when the Juunishi transform?"

"Yes," I said.

"Oh," she answered, not knowing how to continue. She waited a little longer before asking, "If you're not busy, Mitsuki-san, would you like to spend the night at Shigure-san's house?"

I stared at her.

"Ah! I mean, I am currently staying at Sohma-kun and Kyo-kun's house, which is actually Shigure-san's house. He's also one of the zodiac, too, year of the – "

"Don't tell me," I said all of a sudden.

"Wha – "

"I'll guess."

Tohru smiled kindly. "Okay!"

I looked at her closely this time. They say if you look someone in the eyes the first time you meet them, you can see through to their soul. Her large brown eyes had a love powerful and unwavering, but I sensed sadness and loss. I really locked eyes with her, and actually looked at her for the first time.

She broke the silence. "Excuse me, I need to go home and cook…" she said cheerily.

"Tohru-san," I said. "I… Sorry. You wanted me to come over?" Once you got past her brightness, blazing the life out of you, you could see what kind of person she was.

All her sunshine beamed out of her smile. "Hai! That's wonderful!"

"Are you sure…?"

"No, no! Please come!"

"Arigato," I said shyly. "Truly, gomenasai and arigato gozaimasu!" And I walked away from school feeling a lot better than before. That was the power of Tohru's kindness. I almost forgot why I couldn't like her. She was Yuki's girlfriend after all, wasn't she? Was she?

_So, leave me a review telling me how it was. Please! Thanks for reading!_


	6. Introduction

6. Introduction

_I know, there has been a huge, HUGE gap between this post and the last. I was kind of discouraged, though, because I'd reached a dead end in the plot. Plus, I was too lazy to type up the twenty or so chapters of crap I had scrawled in my notebook. XD Well, those who have been staunch supporters, thank you so much! And I hope you enjoy! Or at least, I hope it doesn't make you want to gouge your eyes out too badly. Love, Mitsuki._

I WALKED TO Shigure's house carrying a box of onigiri under my arm, still in uniform and with my bag slung over my shoulder. _What was I thinking?_ I moaned internally. _Yuki lives here!_ I hadn't realized Tohru lived in _their_ house, but it was probably rude to ask why. Kyo lived there, too! Oh, he'd remember me.

The house, which was more of a cottage, was tucked neatly away in a large forest that continued farther than I could see. Finally reaching the small enclosure, I knocked on the wood frame lightly. And I say "wood frame" because the doors were all rice-papered (who still uses those, anyways?).

"So Tohru-kun will be inviting a friend over," I heard, coming from inside the house. Those doors really were thin. I could hear very clearly.

"Dammit! She just had friends over! It'll be a girl, and everything'll get messed up like last time!" a familiar voice shouted hotly, and it was accompanied by a frightful splintering noise.

"Do you have no consideration for others?" asked a cool voice in retort. It must have been Yuki.

I backed away slightly with the intention of leaving till they could sort out their problems, but missed a step and fell backwards with a slight _thunk_.

"Wait, did you hear something just now?" the first voice asked, cutting off the other two voices.

"No," they said in unison.

As their bickering began again, I sighed in relief and went to sit down on the platform out front, leaning against a post. Evidently, they had not heard my knock, and were now discussing my burdensome presence in tightly wound voices.

"Where is she?" Kyo growled suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Who, Honda-san? She's in her room."

I checked my watch. 5:13.

"Boys," said that first voice again. "I trust Tohru-kun to make this decision. We can keep out of the way for another night, can't we?"

"Yeah," Kyo grumbled in his disgruntled way.

"We'll manage," Yuki said in a faraway voice. There was a pitter-pattering that sounded like Tohru coming down the stairs.

"Konbanha!" she called, cheerful as usual. "Is Mitsuki-san here yet?"

"Mitsuki?" Yuki seemed to have been startled out of whatever he was thinking.

"Yes!"

"Oh! Then she – " He stopped mid-sentence, leaving an expectant silence hanging. I took this chance to stand up and finally knock on the door again.

"Konnichiwa..." I said with an attempt at a smile as the door opened. The man blocking the light in front of me stood appraising me while I stared awkwardly. He was beautiful, though, with an easy, disheveled grace I had never seen before.

"I'm Sohma Shigure," he said, inclining his head.

"Oh, Shigure-san!" I exclaimed. "Nice to meet you, my name is Ume Mitsuki.

"You're the friend Tohru has been talking about, then? Come in, come in; I'll leave you with your friends," he said with an amused grin as he led me in and then sauntered out of sight.

"Konnichiwa, Ume-san," Yuki said as I walked in the kitchen. I realized I was twirling my hair nervously and stopped, barely glancing at him and muttering a greeting before I blushed and began twirling my hair again, and staring at my shoes.

"Mitsuki-san?" Tohru peered out the hallway and saw me, looking like an idiot, of course.

"Ah, Tohru-san – "

"Let me introduce you to my other friends!" she said warmly, indicating Kyo and Yuki, who were still sitting in the kitchen.

"We've met," I muttered, keeping my gaze lowered, but she didn't hear me.

"This is Sohma Kyo-kun," she said, "and this is Sohma Yuki-kun. Oh! And this is Ume Mitsuki-san!"

"Nice to meet you," Yuki said in a polite tone, giving nothing away.

"Hey, wait! You're that girl who asked me where that d – where Yuki was!" As I expected, he recognized me and announced it.

"Ah, yeah," I said, heat rushing to my face again as I tried to smile. "I needed to ask him something."

"Hmph," Kyo said, losing interest.

"Well, Honda-san, we've ordered take-out, so go enjoy yourself!" Yuki said, smiling back.

Tohru thanked him profusely and dragged me up a flight of stairs and into a room so bare it only had a bed, a chest of drawers, and a few necessary items.

"So, U – Mitsuki-san, how about we get to know each other better?" asked Tohru, sitting down on the pink, frilly bed. "Is it alright if I call you Ume-chan? It's a tradition with my friends."

I shrugged and sat down, too. "I live in a family of five... I go to your school, of course, and I'm in some of your classes."

"Really!" she exclaimed. "Really, now, I've never seen you..."

I shrugged again. "I'm not all that noticeable."

"But you're so small, you're barely taller than Kisa-chan!" Tohru seemed stuck on the fact I could be in some of her classes. "How old did you say you were?"

"Fourteen..." I replied, confused.

"How is it that you're so young?! Barely Kisa-chan's age, and yet already in our grade! That is – "

"If you don't mind my asking," I interrupted, "who is Kisa-chan?"

Tohru's eyes shined. "She is the most adorable little girl I have ever met! She is so sweet, just like a little chick following me all the time, so cute!"

I'd never known Tohru to have any siblings. "Is she your sister, Tohru?"

"Oh, no, she's just – " I thought I saw her glance guiltily in my direction before she finished: "Just a friend."

I nodded slowly and looked down at the bed, picking at the bows and poufs.

"So!" Tohru said after a while, surprising me. "So! Um, do you have a sister, Ume-chan?"

I genuinely smiled this time, imagining the childish and innocent Akiko. "Yeah, actually, I do. She's ten years old, but she acts like a kindergartener! She's really cute, just like your Kisa-chan. Sometimes she's charming, and I play with her, and sometimes she's saucy and I have to rebuke her."

"Ahh! She sounds kawaii!" Tohru seemed to like hearing about people's lives. To be honest, though, I wouldn't have wanted to hear these things myself. I didn't understand why I was telling her all this.

I stood and fetched my bag with my entire overnight luggage in it, and began to unpack. I could feel Tohru trying to find another topic that would interest me, and wanted to tell her she didn't have to. I hated small talk. But as usual, I kept everything inside me. I remained mute and let her keep musing, while I hid my own discomfort. I wished she would leave. No, I wished _I_ would leave. Really, what had I been thinking?

There was a loud crash from downstairs. I whirled around to gage Tohru's reaction: a half worried, half exasperated one.

"What – ?"

"Ahaha, I'll be right back!" She dashed out the room and down the stairs. I followed her, curious and afraid of what scene we might find before us in the kitchen. A torrent of verbal abuse drifted out before we even reached it.

"Shut up! Everything about you pisses me off, girly-boy!"

"The sight of your face 'pisses me off,' too, idiot."

"Don't call me idiot!"

"What's wrong with stating a fact?"

There was that splintering noise again, the second I'd heard that day, as Kyo karate chopped the table into woodhips.

"What was the point of that? You've destroyed another piece of furniture." Yuki sighed.

"Shut...UP!" We saw Kyo lunge at him, and the battle was on.

"Do they do this a lot?" I asked Tohru quietly.

"Eh heh, unfortunately, yes."

"Wow," I said. I didn't know fights like this actually occurred in real life. "They aren't going to hurt each other?"

"Well, I'm not su – Kyo-kun!" Yuki had kicked him with such tremendous force that he had sailed through the rice paper doors and smashed them completely, landing hard outside.

Shigure stepped out of his recluse, frowning and surveying the damage done. "My house..."

"Sorry you had to see that," Yuki said, calmly brushing out his clothes.

I laughed uncomfortably. "What was the argument about?"

Yuki opened his mouth and started to say something, but stopped. "It doesn't matter. The food is here, so... I suppose you'll have to find a hard surface to eat on, since our table is" – he glared at the misshapen chunks of wood – "_demolished_."

I nodded and walked past to where Tohru was consoling Kyo on the grass.

"Tohru-san, Kyo-san..."

They looked up. "What?" Kyo asked grumpily.

"It's time to eat."

"Hnh," grunted Kyo, leaping up and strutting away defiantly.

"It doesn't seem he likes me very much," I confided to Tohru.

"Does it seem that way?" I couldn't tell if she was kidding.

_That's it for now! I'm getting them on as fast as I can, okay? I hope you liked it! See you next chapter! And please leave a review even if you think it was crap! I appreciate it! __ Thank you!_


	7. Secrets

7. Secrets

_This is where it starts getting dramatic, I suppose. It'll either be touching or stupid, since there's no in between: either it's a good dramatic moment or not. Oh, well, I hope you like it. As usual, I'm a bit embarrassed because it sucks. But who knows, you guys might like it. Or at least you could give me some tips. Enjoy! Love, Mitsuki._

LATER, TOHRU AND I took a bath and brushed our teeth. As we sat in her bed, she told me about how she had met the Sohmas: first she had known Yuki through school and then at his house. She had been camping in a tent on their land without knowing it because her mother had died in a car accident and she had been sent to live with her grandpa and aunt and cousins, but their house was under remodeling. So the Sohmas had given her a place to stay until she could go back to her family. She had stayed there a couple months and met Kyo and Shigure by then, when she was called back to her grandpa's house because the remodeling was finished. Then, she realized that home was where the heart lies and it had been here, at the Sohma house after all.

I told her how I had met Yuki, while trying to omit all the details about his transformation, only that I had come to know the secret. It seemed that she didn't know the mishap I had caused after all, and it was difficult concealing it. Then, a terrible realization struck me, as I remembered what Tohru had said in her narrative. I stopped mid-sentence and gasped softly.

"What? What is it?" asked Tohru.

"You – you said this Akito person was going to have your memories erased? Does that mean... Does that mean mine will be erased too?"

Tohru started, and then shifted a little as if she were stalling to find an adequate answer. "Um, well... Maybe, I guess."

I tensed, and shiver passed through my back. "Okay. I guess... it can't be helped, then."

"Don't worry," she said, smiling her usual beaming smile. "Sohma-kun told me my memory would be erased, and it wasn't!"

It must have been my hyperactive attention to Yuki, but it seemed that she talked about him a lot. I clenched my fists in my lap and sat contemplating their relationship. No! This was stupid of me, why would I be thinking about something like this? Why should it matter to me? _Stop!_ It was the memory thing I was upset about!

"Ume-chan. Ume-chan!"

I looked up as if woken from a trance and blinked. Tohru must have been trying to get my attention.

"Ume-chan, if there's anything bothering you..." She took a deep breath. "I know we barely know each other, but if there's anything bothering you, you can tell me, okay? Um, about the... the curse I mean."

"Mmm, yeah," I said, my mind already distracted from what she was saying. "Okay."

"Ume-chan?"

A fire flared up inside of me, making my heart pound. I felt red and flushed, even though I didn't know why. I was shaking as I said in a small voice, "What are you to Sohma-san?"

"Eh?" This question obviously caught her off guard.

I shook my head hard enough to dislodge my hair from behind my ear to cover my face. I hoped she hadn't understood my question; I didn't mean to ask it.

"Um, excuse me, Ume-chan? What was that?"

"Thanks for worrying," I said gaily as I lifted my head, and I threw in a smile for good measure. I reached over her and turned out the lamp so she couldn't see my face. But it seemed she wouldn't give up so easily.

"Ume-ch – "

"I'm fine." I hated the way my voice quavered.

There was silence on her side, then a sigh and the rustling of the covers as she rolled over.

What was wrong with me? I winced as I dug my fingernails into my palms. I had reacted so suddenly, and so strongly... What had made _that_ question come out of my mouth? _You know what_, a voice said in my head. It was a warm autumn night, but I trembled. I felt feverish. My head was hot and dizzy, but my feet were so cold they were numb. And my stomach churned with the turmoil of my thoughts.

I curled up in the fetal position and tried to quiet my body. I tried to imagine my memory, erased. Gone. How much would I forget? How much would I lose? Would I remember this year at all? Tohru? The Sohmas? ...Yuki? Something in me clenched. _Don't think about him. Don't think about Yuki._ I closed my eyes, trying not to think about why this was especially painful. Squeezing my eyes shut even tighter, I tried to concentrate on the floating spots of light appearing under my lids. The chirping of crickets penetrated the thin walls.

I shivered as a draft of the night wind passed through the window, opening my eyes blearily. I was suddenly exhausted. Tohru's even breathing filled the space next to me, making me uncomfortable.

"_What are you to Sohma-san?"_

God, I'd been so obvious.

I opened my eyes with the determination to name my secret yearning. The darkness no longer obscured my vision; I could see well. I crept silently out of bed and threw open the window recklessly. The wind rushed in wildly as if awaiting its entrance, blowing in sakura petals that were drifting down outside. Without realizing it, tears filled my eyes and lingered on the edge of falling.

I blinked, and the illusion was gone. I almost laughed. The bitter sound rang in my head, a sardonic snicker not yet born. Climbing back in bed, I finally fell into a dreamless sleep that lasted till morning.

_Well, that's it. Short, I know, right? And really dramatic. But, believe it or not, the original was worse. I've been having to do a lot of editing as I type, which might be the reason for abrupt changes in my writing style. Plus the fact that I'm reading different books as I'm writing. I hope you liked this dramatic little chapter! Please review! Advice is much appreciated, but please be specific! Thank you very much for reading! _


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